1861: The Civil War Awakening

By: Adam Goodheart

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of our defining national drama, 1861 presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began.

1861 is an epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields. Early in that fateful year, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents' faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal. It set Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom.

The book introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes - among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer's wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Adam Goodheart takes us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the mouth of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at this moment of ultimate crisis and decision.

©2011 Adam Goodheart (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, History, 2012

“With boundless verve, Adam Goodheart has sketched an uncommonly rich tableau of America on the cusp of the Civil War. The research is impeccable, the cast of little-known characters we are introduced to is thoroughly fascinating, the book is utterly thought-provoking, and the story is luminescent. What a triumph.” (Jay Winik, author of New York Times best-sellers April 1865 and The Great Upheaval)

"Engrossing .... Tension is palpable on every page .... Goodheart's book is an impressive accomplishment, a delightful read, and a valuable contribution that will entertain and challenge." ( Harvard Magazine)

"Exhilarating ... inspiring ... irresistible ... 1861 creates the uncanny illusion that the reader has stepped into a time machine." ( New York Times Book Review, cover review)

"In his marvelous book... Goodheart brings us into 19th-century America, as ambiguous, ambitious and fractured as the times we live in now, and he brings to pulsing life the hearts and minds of its American citizens." ( Huffington Post)

“Jonathan Davis's narration sets the scene with hints of foreboding, creating a feeling of tension about the impending war. He draws listeners into stories of people like recaptured slave Lucy Bagby and future president James Garfield….Goodheart's meticulous research and lively writing will appeal to any history buff.” ( AudioFile)

"Beautifully written and thoroughly original--quite unlike any other Civil War book out there." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Great narrator, hard to follow story.

The narrator is great. The story is hard to follow as it jumps around alot in the timeline and really cuts up the histories of many different people.
As with many historical writings, the author imposes today's moralistic views upon yesteryears figures and events. Overall a good overview of the pollitical landscape leading up to the civil war, if you can piece together all the stories told throughout the book.

amazing book recounting untold stories of history

this was a great book. presentation was fantastic. The stories told with all the undercurrents and political intrigue as well as social backstories provide an insight into how history is really made. the great leaders of history our little more then common men and women who might be in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time. the influence and situations they are presented with and those people stories are just as important as the ones we see in our school books. perhaps even more so as they make you wonder how you would respond in these situations knowing that those that we seem to place on a pedestal are really no different then the masses and any one of us could be put in that situation and end up placing not only our own lives but our community or country on a certain course.

Very informative book

Learned so many details about the history of the lead up to the Civil War. Great book and wonderful narration.

Wow, opened a new world of civil war history

I found this book very enthralling, I loved the stories of Elmer Ellsworth and his Zouaves, was fascinating as they naively went to war and the destruction that resulted. The contraband issue and Major Butler where very informative.

I have listened to several Great Courses by Gary Gallagher about the civil war and this book shed much new light on the subject.



The narration was very good and enjoyable

The compelling analysis of a awakening!

From it’s very first pages and it’s richness of detail, 1861 comes across as a work of superb research. Here you won’t find the description of great battles or heroic feats, just the lives of regular people being affected by the events of the day. And even though we know the outcome, it’s a compelling story that unfolds like a novel. Adam Goodheart’s writing is almost poetic and reminds me of Will Durant’s, last century’s greatest historian. Like Durant, in his Story of Civilization, Goodheart is challenged by having to describe multiple events happening simultaneously in different geographies, without losing their connecting rings or the reader’s interest. His narrative travels from Charleston SC to Washington DC, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri and far away California. It centers on many lesser known or almost forgotten characters like Robert Armstrong, Jennie Fremont, a young James Garfield and Elmer Ellsworth, whose opinions, actions and sacrifices became critical to the outcome of the war that would soon engulf them all. Towering above them is Lincoln, vacillating and uncertain at the beginning of his presidency, before stubbornly reincarnating into the titan who never deviated from the goal of keeping the nation undivided. Critical to his rebirth was his carefully crafted message to congress on July 4th, 1861, a foreshadow of his immortal words at Gettysburg two years later. Above all, Goodheart shows us how the events leading to the Civil War, as important in our history as the independence itself, could have as easily led not only to secession but to the complete fragmentation of our nation and dissolution of our democracy.

Learn Something New Everyday

I strive to learn something new every day of my life. This audio book allowed me to learn more about the Civil War.

Interesting though lengthy read

Contains much historical information that I had not previously heard. It describes in depth many historical, social, economic and personal factors influencing the reasons for and early progress of the civil war.

Expanding historical context

I truly enjoyed most of this book. At the onset of the story the author describes it as a social awareness of the societal context leading up to the Civil War. It was fascinating to learn about the Civil War in this way. I recommend this book for history buffs and those who wish to gain a deeper perspective of social sentiment through different lenses.

Stupendous!

This is an extraordinary story of individuals in an extraordinary time of our nation. I was naïve of the Civil War and lacked the meaning of the struggle for emancipation until I experienced this book. The author handsomely illuminates the ideology held by key players of the era leading to the eventual war of the States. It is clearly slanted towards the North (as it should be), and detail clearly the various sub-plots in the secessionist and non-secessionist thinking. I was particularly moved by the fate of Elmer Ellsworth and his Zouaves. Little did I know of the Wide Awakes movement or its pivotal role in St. Louis. This book details the entire sentiment of the time leading to the conflict. Definitely in the same league as the ‘Guns of August’ by Barbara Tuchman.

Stuff before the War

If you could sum up 1861: The Civil War Awakening in three words, what would they be?

It is about the beginning of the Civil War.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

Fort Sumter

Any additional comments?

A great magnifying glass on the months before the war.